‘The Boy I Never Knew’; Better Cancer Tests; Cancer Patient’s Bigotry

“The Boy I Never Knew” — An oncologist meets the child born of a pregnant cancer patient’s selfless decision. (Journal of Clinical Oncology)

The FDA, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) proposed a strategy to jump-start development of new radiotherapy-drug combinations, only one of which has been approved since 2006.

Overweight and obesity accounted for 4% of all cancers worldwide — and as many as 8% in some Western nations — but that was in 2012, and the world has gotten fatter since then. (American Cancer Society)

A rapid and relatively inexpensive genomic test may offer an accurate and efficient way to determine which prostate cancers will become metastatic. (Journal of Molecular Diagnostics)

An advanced imaging technique focusing on prostate-specific membrane antigen performed as well or better than nomograms or clinical prediction tables for informing treatment decisions about prostate cancer. (Journal of Nuclear Medicine)

A team of European researchers used patient data to develop a computer model that showed accuracy for predicting prostate cancer aggressiveness. (University of Copenhagen, Cancer Cell)

Data on 20,000 patients with cancer showed that presence or absence of mutations didn’t predict tumor aggressiveness but a specific type of alteration did. (Cold Harbor National Laboratory, eLife)

An immunotherapy-containing spray gel may help control cancer spread after surgery. (University of California Los Angeles)

An oncologist shares a personal struggle with a patient’s bigotry toward a colleague. (ASCO Connection)

At the recent American Society of Hematology meeting and San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, cancer experts sat down with MedPage Today to discuss key issues in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and advanced breast cancer.